Labor of Love part 1
I like that phrase. "Labor of love." Because even though it could be perceived as having a slightly negative connotation, "I'm only doing this because I love you. I don't really want to though," it has the best motivation that there is for us to do anything. Ever. Look at Colossians 3:23, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." That's one of my favorite verses. Because it, again, gives us the motivation for our actions. Do it heartily. Do it to the best of your ability, and do it because it is in your heart to do it. Do it as unto the Lord. I always Rant about letting God love you and then loving Him back by loving people. Because whatsoever you do unto the least of them you do unto the King. And the best part, as always, is that it is simply receiving and releasing His love. We love... because He first loved us. We CAN love because He has filled us with HIS love. Remember now, you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. So when it comes to what you do in your life, on a daily basis, wherever you are regarding whoever you are in contact with, it can (and ought to) be a labor of love. Doing things because they are in your heart to do them. Not because you think you're going to get something out of it, but because you want to put something into it. You want to make things better. You want to help people. Well, that comes from the heart. And my favorite thing about the heart is that it is so single-minded. The heart cares about love. Period. That is the only thing it is concerned with. Love is the only thing that matters, I guess is what I'm trying to say. So when we do things... that's where they should come from. They should come from a place of love. They should come from the heart. And, since love is giving, we can stop trying so hard to get things. We should stop trying to get what we think we haven't got by being someone we're not. We need to know what we have... so that we can give it away. So that we can share it. So that we can experience it and enjoy it BY giving it away and sharing it. So here's the deal: Everything can, and should, be a labor of love. Think about it. Even when we do things to take care of ourselves. That's self-love. Self-care. And that's important. And, listen, I know there are a lot of people out there who don't spend a lot of time or effort on figuring out, or thinking about, why they do the things they do. They just kind of shrug their shoulders and keep plowing on. But, as always, there's a more excellent way. A little self-reflection can help us to stay on--or get on--the right track. Purpose driven, right? Doing things not just to be doing them, but doing by purpose, on purpose, and with purpose. Doing things... I'm gonna keep saying it... because it is in our hearts to do them. If love is your motivation you can't go wrong. Things might not go exactly the way you want them to, or the way you necessarily think they should... but if you're out there spreading love, I believe things WILL go the way they're supposed to. Love is a labor. Charity is love is action. Doing what we do because it's in our hearts to do it. Doing what we do because we are so full of God's love that we couldn't keep it inside if we tried. Doing what we do... because of love.